Staff Feature

Dr. Bud Fox likes to experiment with things, to intentionally test things until they break, then he can say, “Now we’re justified as engineers to find the faults and fix it!” In some circles, he’s known as “driven” - “Build it, bash it, and enjoy every minute of it – then rebuild it!” He is a member of the Engineering Software division and likes writing software for industrial companies working on real-world engineering projects, building all different kinds of machinery. “I really like all that mechanical hardware and how software can be used to increase its efficiency and make for better design and increased performance. Beats-per-minute party-poppers!”

Actually, a lot of the work that Bud does here requires careful planning, development and testing. He is intrigued and patient with his work at IHPC.“Since I was young, I found maths, dynamics and programming very useful to explore the simulation of connected bodies. At university I thought that I really needed a Ph.D.-level education to really appreciate scientific detail… Researchers need to be patient, maintain a continuity of focus by preventing distractions, and work very hard over a long period of time (years) in an explorative manner. Don’t worry about the critics – they’re non-doers.”

At IHPC, Bud is heartened to find like-minded individuals who share the same degree of passion and enthusiasm that he has towards the advancement of many areas of science and technology. “The culture at IHPC is very energetic with lots of researchers doing different types of industrial projects and research work. I thought it would be a good learning experience, to contribute to this environment and make good use of the extensive and impressive software and hardware resources available.”

Singapore proved to be a sensible choice for Bud who made the decision to uproot from his native Australia to come here for an extended period of time. In fact the reasons for his choice of Singapore would make any loyal citizen proud: “I really needed to travel and see another city/country and I like the fact that in Singapore, the pursuit of higher education is something that is valued and encouraged, especially where there is an emphasis on science, so it’s actually pretty rewarding to be here. There is also less crime and lower tax.”

In his spare time, Bud tries a range of different activities: “I think I’d like to fly a helicopter or airplane at some stage and maybe go snow-boarding when I get the time. If I ever have the chance, I’d also like to develop some useful OpenSource software and share it with the other ‘propeller heads’ out there (spin it)!”

Before you say ‘Nerd!’ out loud, Bud wants people to know that in reality, they only get out of life what they put into it. “It’s only natural for a researcher to find the interesting projects, and use existing/new tools in an interesting and novel manner. If you don’t see the fun in it, what’s the point of doing it?”